Chapter 012: The Warden

Anthony’s question was clearly not random, but Du Fan had no way of guessing the old fox’s intentions. His expression became even more respectful as he said in a low voice, “I do not know.”
“Du Fan…” Anthony’s voice was as heavy as the years, “You’ve been in my Holy Church for six years now, right?”
Du Fan replied, “Six years, four months, and three days!”
“Good! It’s good that you remember clearly.” Anthony smiled. “But how much do you think you actually know about the Holy Church?”
Du Fan was momentarily stunned. He truly couldn’t answer this question. Although he knew very little, it wasn’t nothing either… For example, the truths of history—how else could he have known them if not for Anthony’s explanations?
After thinking for a while, Du Fan shook his head slightly and said, “I do not know.”
Anthony gazed up at the ceiling of the decaying cathedral, staring at the shattered stained glass above. After a moment, he lowered his head and smiled slightly, saying, “Du Fan… Often, what you know is related to your strength and status. Without strength or status, who would tell you anything?”
Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He seemed to faintly grasp Anthony’s meaning…
Yet, his own strength had increased so inexplicably, and Anthony didn’t doubt it at all? Didn’t he care at all?
Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Anthony wasn’t bothered. He simply smiled and said, “Well, since you came here today on your own, I don’t need to make the effort to visit… After all, I also dislike going out… Alright, Du Fan, let me introduce someone to you today.”
With that, Anthony clapped his hands lightly and said calmly, “Nio, come out.”
“Yes!”
A low reply seemed to come from all directions at once. Du Fan was shocked. With his current strength, how could he possibly fail to notice someone else in the cathedral?
If this person wasn’t his ally but someone who wanted his life, then he was probably…
Thinking of this, cold sweat broke out on Du Fan’s back.
At that moment, a priest dressed in a plain robe slowly appeared beside Du Fan. His face was ordinary—so ordinary that even if someone tried to remember him, it would be impossible.
After appearing, the man didn’t even glance at Du Fan. He simply bowed slightly to Anthony and said, “Lord Anthony, Nio pays his respects…”

Anthony smiled slightly and said, “Alright,Neo, it’s time for you to meet Du Fan today… You know more about Du Fan than I do, so I won’t go into details…”
As he spoke, Anthony glanced at Du Fan and said calmly, “Come, Du Fan… Meet LordNeo. He will soon be your superior!”
Du Fan was slightly stunned but still smiled atNeo and said, “LordNeo…”
Neo’s expression remained unchanged; he simply smiled at Du Fan, his face showing no emotion.
Yet Du Fan didn’t dare relax his vigilance around this man at all. The fact that he could hide among them unnoticed clearly meant he was extremely capable, and since Anthony, that old fox, kept him by his side at such a moment, he must be someone Anthony trusted completely.
After all, even Joshua hadn’t received such an honor.
Seemingly sensing Du Fan’s thoughts, Anthony suddenly smiled slightly and said, “Neo is the warden of the Divine Tribunal’s Gavin Diocese, the Prison of Divine Power… What do you think of this position?”
Du Fan’s heart pounded violently. The warden of the Prison of Divine Power… It was the legendary Prison of Divine Power…
“Du Fan, if you’re willing…” Anthony sighed, “then from now on, you’ll be one of the two wardens of the Prison of Divine Power…”
Du Fan was stunned. As a member of the Divine Tribunal, he knew well that the position of warden of the Prison of Divine Power held even more power than that of a Grand Master of the Temple Knights, with even some bishops under the warden’s control…
However, such a position was usually only held by those who were directly loyal to the Pope of the Divine Tribunal. After all, the Prison of Divine Power not only dealt with heretics but also monitored its own people.
Although the warden of the Gavin Diocese’s Prison of Divine Power didn’t have to be directly loyal to the Pope, he definitely had to be loyal to Anthony.
Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Anthony smiled slightly and said calmly, “What? Du Fan… I know this position isn’t as high as a duke’s, but the power you’ll have is certainly no less than that of a nominal duke… Or do you think this position isn’t good enough? How about making you the head of the Heresy Tribunal?”
Du Fan took a sharp breath. He could clearly sense the anger in Anthony’s voice. Yet even so, he absolutely couldn’t accept this position casually. Although Du Fan had no problem killing, the bloodshed associated with the Prison of Divine Power couldn’t be explained simply by saying he killed people.

Moreover, he carried so many secrets on his shoulders—any one of them exposed could lead to an irreparable outcome. Such matters demanded extreme caution.
“I… don’t understand…” Du Fan forced a wry smile. “Lord Anthony, it’s not that I despise this position. I just don’t understand why you, Lord Anthony, would ask me to…”
Anthony frowned and after a moment said, “Since I’ve asked you to do it, then do it. Is it that hard to understand? If you insist on asking why, I can only tell you that it’s simply because I believe you’re suited to walk in both light and darkness… And what the Divine Might Prison does is to move forward in both light and darkness…”
At this point, Anthony sighed slightly and said, “Do you know, Du Fan… even the glorious Holy Church often hides unknown darkness… Don’t you understand this? Don’t you have the slightest interest in it?”
Du Fan didn’t know how to respond for a moment and only said, “But…”
“No buts,” Anthony smiled. “Du Fan, still don’t you understand? You have no power, no one… No matter what you want to do, how can you accomplish it? For example, if you were already the head of the Divine Might Prison today, do you think that Laku would still dare to attack you? Though it’s inappropriate for me to say this, a true man cannot go a day without power, nor can a weakling…” With your intelligence, how could you not understand this?”
Du Fan was shaken. The secrets he carried required immense power and strength to protect… But Anthony’s words…
Finally, Du Fan made up his mind. He bowed to Anthony and said, “Then I’ll obey out of respect.”
“Very good,” Anthony nodded. “From now on, you’re one of the two heads of the Divine Might Prison…Neo will take you around to show you around later… I’ll also assign you some people to assist you for now. If more are needed in the future, just ask… Also, it wouldn’t make sense for you to lead the Divine Might Prison as a white-robed priest. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be a bishop… I’ll help you arrange everything properly. After all, you were able to recover despite such severe injuries—how else can this be explained except as a miracle?”

Du Fan was slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected that, having just become the warden of the Divine Might Prison, he would immediately advance two ranks in no time… Although this bishop held a low position, he was still a powerful figure within the Holy See and was no longer an ordinary priest… It seemed that Archcardinal Anthony really intended to promote him…

At this moment, Du Fan’s initial concerns had vanished. With these two identities, even if Prince Fischer were a king or the pope’s adopted son, he would have to think twice before trying to mess with Du Fan…

As for the people of the Divine Might Prison… It wouldn’t be difficult to send a few experts to help him manage his fiefdoms when the time came… Even leveraging the Holy See’s intelligence network properly could bring countless benefits…

Add to that the vast wealth accumulated by the Holy See over the years…

Du Fan quickly considered all these advantages—his determination was truly extraordinary. By now, he no longer felt any aversion toward this legendary Divine Might Prison, known for its dark ways. If he could gain such benefits, not to mention being made its warden, even if he were ordered to lead the prison to eradicate heretics from a city, he would rush to do it without hesitation…

Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Anthony finally showed satisfaction. He nodded slightly and said calmly, “Very well,Neo… Take him down then… As for what Du Fan mentioned earlier, treat it as the Divine Might Prison’s top priority right now.”

Niö’s expression remained unchanged as he simply bowed and said, “Yes!”